Remembering those lost in the pandemic one year later A year after the first local COVID-19 case was reported, nearly 3,400 lives have been lost to the pandemic. and last updated 2021-03-09 21:20:10-05 SAN DIEGO (KGTV) - A year after the first local COVID-19 case was reported, nearly 3,400 lives have been lost to the pandemic. Elvira Martinez was just 29 when she died in September. Her boyfriend Ricardo Ferreyra says it was love at first sight eight years ago. He was planning to propose on a sailboat. "I'm heartbroken, in a million pieces. She was my soulmate and the most wonderful person in the world. We had so many plans," said Ferreyra.